FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Even after diplomatic overtures and a red-carpet reception, Moscow responds with one of its deadliest attacks since the invasion, showing that the Kremlin has no intention of negotiating an end to the war.
The effect of the red carpet laid out under Russian President Vladimir Putin's feet in Alaska didn't even last two weeks. 598 drones, 31 missiles, 19 civilians dead and dozens injured in Kiev: August 28, 2025, has already been engraved as another dark date in the history of the Ukrainian capital. But this was not just a routine bombing, like many others that almost every Ukrainian city has experienced over the past three and a half years.
This time the Russian military defied some restrictions that it had somewhat respected until now, such as avoiding attacks in the center of Kiev and near Western embassies, or sparing civilian trains, with the railway depot in Vinnytsia destroyed.
The airstrike ordered by Moscow, considered by some to be the second most serious since the beginning of the invasion, was a direct response to Western diplomacy, a rejection of peace initiatives and the very prospect of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Drones and missiles were being prepared for launch just as Donald Trump described Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statements as "nonsense," dismissing them with the comment that "everyone is talking to raise their voices."
Imposing reasoning
The American president knows this game well, and with his pragmatism as a businessman, he most likely cannot imagine that anyone would shoot down the possibility of a deal, especially a deal to his advantage, with missiles.
However, one only has to watch the residents of Kiev digging through the rubble in search of survivors to understand the message the Kremlin intends to send to all those who are still wondering what is going on in Putin's head and what sacrificial offer could convince him to facilitate his invasion.
The Russian dictator has had countless opportunities to end this war on extremely favorable terms. A leader who “wants peace,” as Trump continues to insist, does not bomb in the middle of negotiations.
A dictator newly welcomed onto the international stage does not fire missiles at the European Union embassy. And since the Russian Defense Ministry never fails to boast about its “high-precision” strikes, this attack may have been intentional.
A "grand master of geopolitics" does not ignore a journalist's question: "When will you stop killing civilians?", only to respond with missiles aimed at residential towers, while his spokesman claims that they were in fact 'military factories'.
It is natural to try to impose some kind of reasoning on Putin, to assume that there must be some calculation, however ruthless: If he is defending “Russia’s interests,” if he wants to preserve some part of his reputation, if he is seeking an ‘exit strategy,’ then surely some compromise must be offered.
Putin has no intention of stopping.
The Russian dictator has had countless opportunities to end this war on extremely favorable terms. He has never taken advantage of them, because he has no intention of stopping. Now, his economy is running the war machine, and his power is fueled by the cult of war.
In addition to the EU mission, which was targeted for supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Azerbaijani embassy in Kiev was also attacked yesterday. President Ilham Aliyev has become the latest target of the Kremlin’s scorn after criticizing the Russian regime and expressing support for Ukraine. Putin will not accept a red carpet in exchange for peace. The red carpet he seeks is the winner’s runway in war./ Adapted from “Pamphlet” by “WorldCrunch”.
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